We Were Always Free: The Maddens of Culpeper County, Virginia: A 200-Year Family History
SKU: 38882632745

We Were Always Free: The Maddens of Culpeper County, Virginia: A 200-Year Family History

Sale price$17.59 Regular price$19.54
Save 10%

Shipping Estimate
USA
  • USA
  • CAN

Ships within 48 hours · Estimated delivery Jul 7 - Jul 12

Promo Codes Available:

For Your Every Summer RSVP, with Code: SUMMER15

Description

We Were Always Free: The Maddens of Culpeper County, Virginia: A 200-Year Family HistoryIn August of 1758, in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, a poor Irish immigrant named Mary Madden bore a child, Sarah Madden, whose father was said to be a slave and the property of Colonel James Madison, father of the future president of the United States. This daughter, though born a free mulatto, became indentured to the Madisons. There she worked as a seamstress to pay off the fine of her birth until she was 31 years old. Sarah Madden bore ten

In August of 1758, in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, a poor Irish immigrant named Mary Madden bore a child, Sarah Madden, whose father was said to be a slave and the property of Colonel James Madison, father of the future president of the United States. This daughter, though born a free mulatto, became indentured to the Madisons. There she worked as a seamstress to pay off the fine of her birth until she was 31 years old.

Sarah Madden bore ten children and when the term of her indenture was over, she and her youngest son, Willis, struck out for themselves--Sarah as a seamstress, laundress, and later, with Willis, a dairy farmer and tavern keeper. Stories of Willis and Sarah were passed down in Madden family lore through the generations--their hard work, their business sense, their ability to overcome obstacles, poverty, illiteracy, prejudice. This is the chronicle of those generations, a 200-year history of a kind unusually complete in American history. Two factors make it so--that Sarah Madden and her offspring kept their stories alive, and that they saved hundreds of important documents of their freedom, hardship, and daily work.

These documents came to light in 1949 when author T.O. Madden, Jr. (great great grandson of Sarah Madden) conceived a powerful desire to know more of his bygone generations. He began to investigate, and his search for family brought him to a hidebound trunk originally belonging to his great grandfather Willis. Its contents brought tears to his eyes. Stored there, awaiting discovery, were papers dating back to the mid-eighteenth century, freedom papers, papers of indenture, deeds of land, Sarah Madden's laundry and seamstress record books, letters, traveling passes. In addition, the leather trunk held an exciting, full set of business records for the days of the nineteenth century when Madden's Tavern flourished as a center of activity in Orange County and as a place for travelers to rest on the road to Fredericksburg.

Since that day, T.O. Madden, Jr., has been deeply researching his family, using census reports, other official sources, familly, and friends. All have led to his ably reconstructed family history, and to his own remarkable story. We Were Always Free is a unique and very American family saga.



Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Published: 06/17/1992
ISBN: 9780393350128
Pages: 256
Weight: 0.71lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.57d
Shipping Notes
  • Free Standard Shipping on $100+ Orders to the USA.
  • Except Preorder products are shipped in 48 hours.
  • Delivery to the USA:
  1. Standard Shipping : 3-10 business days
  • If time is of the essence, please consider selecting expedited delivery for faster service.
Exchange/Return Notes
  • We offer a 30-day return/exchange service after receiving.
  • Final sale items are not eligible for returns or exchanges.
  • To process your return/exchange, please contact us at [email protected]
  • Please click here for more details>>> Return & Exchange Policy
SKU: 38882632745

Discover Niche Categories That Outsell

Top-Converting Item to Boost Your Average Order

4.8 ★★★★★
Based on 700 reviews
Sort
Highest Rating
Newest First
Oldest First
Product Reviews
L
Verified Purchase
Lexi
Waukegan, US
★★★★★ 5
Hot for Madame V!
Format: Kindle
Wow! Anna Stone knocks this out of the park! I love a good single mom romance novel and having her fall for the nanny makes it oh so much better!! I highly highly recommend this book! The spice is off the charts!! And the strap scenes and I mean multiple strap scenes 🥵🥵🥵
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2025
H
Verified Purchase
Helen W
Whiting, US
★★★★★ 5
A story of early love rekindled, and persistence overcoming obstacles
Format: Paperback
More than just a romance, this is a story of early love rekindled, and of persistence overcoming obstacles. The tale of Jo and Lauren spans two decades and takes the reader to London, Paris, California, and the Pacific Northwest. The plot moves briskly, with unexpected twists. If you expect a pickup in a laundromat, a brawl in a bar, or a love scene at a mountain campsite...you'll be surprised. The novel confronts the challenges faced by a same-sex couple trying to find a home in the days before marriage equality became widespread. Funny, tender, and heartbreaking by turns, A Place For Us will stay with you long after you turn the last page.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2025
M
Verified Purchase
monica
Fort Morgan, US
★★★★★ 4
Worth reading!
Format: Kindle
Patricia Grayhall has written a sensitive and enlightening story that introduced me to the difficulties facing same sex couples before the countries of the world (absent a very few) became open to the reality of sexual attraction and love between same sex couples. A well written and good love story.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2025
A
Verified Purchase
Amazon Customer
Fort Morgan, US
★★★★★ 5
An international romance challenge that will keep you on edge
Format: Kindle
I I was intrigued with the complexity of just trying to live together with someone from a different country. This book clearly demonstrates the obstacles and I kept rooting for love to prevail.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2026
S
Verified Purchase
Sally
Lowell, US
★★★★★ 5
A Must Read For Senior Sapphic Women
Format: Paperback
This is one of the best books for older sapphic women that I've ever read. It is so refreshing to not only have books for gay women but even better to have them for the "gray hair" crowd. Grayhall is a wonderful writer that keeps you spellbound. Three cheers for her.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2026

recommand products